Fated reborn - Chapter 200: Chapter 200

Luciano's Pov.
After everything that had happened, I wasn’t sure if I had the energy to keep going. It felt like the walls were closing in on me, and every thought that crossed my mind just made it worse. As I stood there in the hallway, staring at Laura’s face, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do next. My mind was still racing with questions, doubts, and fears, but when she stepped in close to me, I felt a strange sense of relief. She wasn’t just seeing me as the Alpha. She was seeing me as Luciano. And for a moment, that helped ease the weight of the world I was carrying.
She gently placed her hand on my arm, her touch warm and calming. "Talk to me," she said, her voice so gentle, so soft. It was like she knew exactly what I needed to hear.
I hesitated, unsure if I should say anything. But when I looked at her, her expression wasn’t one of judgment or confusion—it was one of understanding. She wanted to help, to listen. And in that moment, I knew I needed to tell her everything, no matter how much it made me feel vulnerable.
"Clara and Victor…" I started, my voice trembling slightly, the words hard to push out. "They’re both missing. And I’ve been getting these strange notes, cryptic messages. I don’t understand it, Laura. I don’t know where they are, or if they’re even safe."
I felt my chest tighten as I said it aloud. It was like I had been holding onto these fears for so long, and now that they were out in the open, they felt even heavier. But she didn’t pull away, didn’t flinch. She just stood there, her eyes never leaving mine.
When I fell silent, she stood there for a moment, letting the words sink in. Then, in a voice that held no judgment, only reassurance, she said, “You’re not alone in this, Luciano. We’ll figure this out together. You don’t have to carry this burden by yourself.”
Hearing those words, I felt something inside me crack open. For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel completely isolated in this. Laura was with me, and that made all the difference.
I nodded, trying to hold it together. “Thanks, Laura. But right now, I just need to figure out what’s going on. Something doesn’t feel right.”
Laura’s hand moved to my face, cupping my cheek softly. She was grounding me, reminding me that I didn’t have to go through this alone. “I’m with you,” she said, her voice steady, unwavering. “Whatever it takes, we’ll find them. You’re not doing this on your own.”
I felt a tight knot in my chest loosen just a little at her words. I wanted to believe her, to trust that everything would be okay, but the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach told me this was just the beginning of something much bigger, something I wasn’t ready to face.
“Okay,” I said, my voice quieter now. “I’ll keep looking. I’ll find them.”
Laura gave me a small smile before stepping back and gesturing toward her room. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s sit down, and you can tell me everything. All of it.”
I followed her into her room, and she guided me to the chair beside her bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and I took a seat in the chair, feeling a little out of place but grateful for the moment of calm.
I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the stack of papers. The ones I’d been obsessing over, the ones that had been haunting me with their cryptic messages. I handed them to her, not sure how she would react but needing her to see the same things I had seen.
Laura unfolded the first paper, reading it silently. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the words, but she didn’t say anything. She just kept reading, her eyes scanning each line carefully. Then she looked up at me, her gaze intense.
“These messages… they’re strange,” she said. “But who’s sending them?”
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of the question. “I think it’s Victor,” I said quietly. “Maybe he’s trying to give me clues, trying to tell me something without saying it outright.”
Laura thought about it for a moment, her hand coming up to tap her chin in thought. After a long pause, she nodded. “Okay,” she said, as if the idea had clicked for her. “That makes sense. Victor has always been secretive, hasn’t he?”
I nodded, my mind still racing, but a small part of me was starting to feel like I might be on the right track. “Yeah. But these notes… they’re not like him. I don’t know what to make of it.”
Laura stayed quiet for a moment, then turned to me, her eyes thoughtful. “Wait… Victor said he had everything under control, right?”
“Yeah,” I replied, my voice tight. “He said that in one of the notes. That he’s got it all under control, that I don’t need to worry.”
A smile slowly spread across Laura’s face. “I think I know where he is,” she said, the excitement evident in her voice.
I stared at her, confused. “Where?”
She stood up, pacing back and forth for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. Then she stopped and turned to me. “There’s a small cottage. Down the private road to the left. Very far from here. It’s hidden deep inside the bushes. It’s secluded, and not many people know about it. I think Victor’s hiding there.”
I stared at her, trying to make sense of what she was saying. “A cottage? Why didn’t Victor ever tell me about this? Why would he hide something like that?”
Laura’s eyes softened, her expression almost nostalgic. “He used it to hide when his life was in danger. It’s where he would take me sometimes, when he needed to ask me questions or just get away from everything. I never questioned it. I just thought it was something he needed.”
It still didn’t make sense to me, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Victor had always been secretive about certain things. Maybe this was just another one of his hidden places, a safe house of sorts.
“I still don’t understand…” I trailed off. “Can you take me there? I need to see this for myself.”
Laura gave me a small nod. “If it means finding Clara, then yes. I’ll take you.”
I felt a sudden rush of gratitude toward her. “Thanks. You don’t know what this means to me.”
She smiled softly and then, as if realizing something, she turned to me. “Wait a minute… Who’s Clara?”
I froze for a second. I hadn’t really talked about Clara much, and now, with everything else going on, it felt strange to bring her up. But she was important. Clara had been a huge part of why we caught Henry.
“She’s… a girl I employed,” I said slowly. “She helped us catch Henry. She was even part of the reason we got this far.”
Laura’s expression softened as she nodded. “I understand now,” she said quietly.
We stood up together, and I followed her out of her room. Neither of us spoke much as we walked through the house, ready to face the unknown. It felt like the beginning of something much bigger than either of us had anticipated. But no matter what happened, I knew that with Laura by my side, I wasn’t alone in this fight.
And maybe, just maybe, we’d find Clara—and answers—before it was too late.